• Fossil Ridge girls soccer won their first state title, defeating Castle View 1-0 in the 5A championship.
• Teagan Myers scored the winning goal off a corner kick in the 72nd minute.

COLORADO SPRINGS — Fossil Ridge girls soccer head coach Cyrus Salehi shook senior Teagan Myers in the postgame chaos and yelled, "I told you! I told you so."

The assertion was ostensibly about a scoring opportunity that Salehi foresaw Myers finishing in a clutch moment.

It was really about so much more. Mainly, a cultural reset for a program that always had copious talent but never the finishing touches.

Myers cemented a new day for SaberCat soccer, delivering Fossil Ridge's first state title on the pitch with a late game-winning header goal for a 1-0 victory over No. 6 Castle View in the Colorado Class 5A state championship May 21 at Weidner Field.

Salehi said it's been a "soft" program "for too many years." 

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"When we came in, we said we’re going to bring the fight to teams and have grit. We’re going to take teams by surprise because they’re going to think it’s the same Fossil," Salehi said.

No, this wasn't the same Fossil. Not even close.

Fossil Ridge (15-1-4) brought home the golden trophy thanks to a slogan that adorned their warm-up shirts: GRIT.

This wasn't the flashy, dynamic teams of Fossil past. Ones that earned the SaberCats so many high seeds and produced top-shelf talent yet ended in playoff frustration for a decade-plus.

"Everyone was unbelievably committed this season. We knew how it felt to go out in quarterfinals last year and weren't going to let that happen again," Myers said.

"We felt like we were our biggest competition."

These SaberCats from Fort Collins smothered teams defensively, snuffing out scoring chances with ruthless tenacity and a brilliant Shay Masters in goal.

They pulled out three-straight one-score games from the quarterfinals through the title match. It showed a gritty resolve. Tangibly, it kept scoreboard pressure off Fossil, which never trailed in the postseason.

Fossil Ridge surrendered exactly one goal in five playoff matches. There were 11 clean sheets in 20 total games. Just 13 goals allowed all season long. Pure defensive dominance.

With defense like that, all it took was one score.

Fifth-seeded Fossil Ridge found it over 70 minutes into a tense scoreless match against a Castle View squad that was practically Fossil's mirror, right down to a phenomenal defense and the same SaberCat mascot.

Junior forward Lily Wale took a corner kick and curled it right to the senior Myers, an all-state midfielder who is often Fossil's top option in the box on set pieces.

DOUBLE CHAMP: Fossil Ridge athlete Lily Wale won two Colorado state titles in a week

Myers beat her defender to the ball and headed it past Castle View keeper Elly Bowers, who deflected but couldn't stop the close-range strike.

"My goal is always just get it in the box to Teagan," Wale said. "As soon as she got a head on it, I knew it was going in."

"Big-time players make big-time moments happen," Myers added. "It was like me and Lily could feel it coming."

Watch Myers' goal, plus hear her thoughts on the winner and Fossil's remarkable title run.

The celebration was on, even with eight minutes left. As the Switchbacks' stadium lights flashes, Myers amped up a Fossil Ridge crowd hundreds strong despite the 125-mile trip south.

Salehi was even more thrilled to see the goal because of what preceded it.

Four minutes earlier, Fossil earned a penalty kick thanks to a Castle View handball. But Wale's attempt was thwarted by Bowers' diving stop. That wasted opportunity could have demoralized Fossil Ridge given the stakes in a defensive battle.

Maybe in the old days. Not anymore.

"We have been resilient all year. As soon as that (miss) happened, we knew we had next. That belief wasn't here before," Salehi said.

"That's the kind of culture that is rebranding the athletic legacy of this school."

It's the second state title for Salehi as head coach. He also led Liberty Common to the 2017 Class 3A boys state championship before taking over the Fossil girls before the 2024 season.

Beyond the culture, Salehi culled a talented bunch into a cohesive team. These SaberCats were always more organized, better-conditioned and stronger in the passing lanes than their opponents.

In other words, you had to go beat these SaberCats from Fort Collins. They sure weren't going to help you out.

It was the case in a 6-0 Northern Conference title-winning regular season. Then in a 1-1 quarterfinal draw against No. 4 Ralston Valley that took penalty kicks to advance. It was on display again through tired legs and short rest for a 1-0 semifinal squeaker vs. No. 8 Valor Christian.

Relive the run: See stories, photos, videos from Fossil Ridge's run to soccer state title

And finally, for the championship.

The long-awaited moment for Fossil Ridge got the celebration it deserved. Players and coaches dogpiled across the field, with Masters plus defenders like Amelia Larson and Bailey Pottratz fittingly near the bottom as the base of this team's success.

The hugs, the tears, a football-esque rush to fans in the stands, even a postgame team "Seven Nation Army" stomping chant of "Oh, oh, oh, oh, ohhh" were all delivered loud and proud.

The premier program up north can finally lay claim as Colorado's best, a strong statement considering this state's immense talent on the pitch.

According to MaxPreps, Fossil Ridge finished the season as the No. 12 girls soccer team in the country.

"We definitely weren’t supposed to win this. We really wanted to prove something to the whole state that we’re the best in Colorado," Wale said.

A statement finally heard loud and clear.

This story has been updated with additional postgame video, photos, quotes and context. This story has also been updated to adjust a quote.

Chris Abshire covers high school and community sports for the Coloradoan.